


Forgive or Forget

by miss_little_kitten



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Childhood Memories, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Trapped
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-24 11:42:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_little_kitten/pseuds/miss_little_kitten
Summary: Lauren and Harry were best friends growing up, they lived right next to each other and suddenly he became famous. She missed him, but she continued her life. Anne calling her asking when she’ll talk to Harry again drives her crazy, but she finished UNI and is working towards a doctorate degree. While Harry was being the Harry Styles, she got a job at a museum in London. She knew he was there, but they hadn’t spoke in four years until one night when he comes through her door before a huge storm.I need ideas so always request! And it’s also posted on Wattpad!





	1. Chapter 1

“So like, have you talked to Harry at all?” The worst question i hear all the time, it’s all that matters to anyone ever.  
“No, mum, i haven’t and i certainly don’t plan too.”  
“Gosh you’re feisty today.” My mother is laughing lightly over the phone, she has been asking this lately, if i talked to Harry.  
“Mum, you’ve asked four times already this week! It’s Saturday! The answer still hasn’t changed!”  
“Well, Anne wanted me to ask.” The voice she had though, Anne was like another mother to me and it hurt.  
“How’s Anne?”  
“She’s holding up honey. She really appreciated when you visited.” My mother sounded sincere, but my heart still hurt for Anne. I should call her more, i really should, but then Harry is brought up and i can’t deal with that. Not now and not ever.  
“I’ll call her again later.”  
“That’s good baby, how’s the new apartment?”  
“I love it Mum! It’s so great! It’s small and cozy. I just started hanging up the photos.” I moved in a few weeks ago, but moving has been difficult. I never seem to have time to finish.  
“Well i hope you can get ahold of Anne soon. She’d love to see you again dear.” The sigh could be heard throughout the apartment I’m sure, but my mum was right i had to call her soon.  
“Mum, i will, i promise. When are you coming to visit anyway?”  
“I’m coming in a few weeks, Lauren. I’m excited to see it and you! Have you finished the guest bedroom yet?”  
“No, not yet. The bed is actually made but that’s it. You’ll have a place to sleep Mum don’t worry.”  
“Well, i love you okay honey? Call me tomorrow!”  
“I love you too Mum. I will.” I hung up and stared up at the blank walls surrounding me. I needed to actually hang up the photos my mum sent me. I knew i did, but instead i decide to lay on couch. My fingers grab a ratted blanket i made a few years ago and wrap it around me. The couch is a nice light grey, it was stylish but at the same time i regret buying it. He picked it out online for me. Maybe four years ago before he was the Harry Styles. My finger lingers over Anne’s number longer than it should before i finally hit call.  
“Hello?” Anne says on the fifth ring she sounds rushed.  
“Hi Anne! It’s Lauren!”  
“Lauren! Oh honey how are you? Me and gem were just outside and i heard the phone!” Her laugh is light hearted and i hear gem in the back ground.  
“I’m good, just moved in my new flat in London! I got the flowers you sent me! They’re so pretty yet!”  
“Oh good! I sent them last week to make sure you would have been settled! How are you liking London? Missing little Cheshire yet?”  
“I’ll always miss Cheshire you know that. And i love London so much. You’ll have to come visit with me Mum! I have a guest room but either my mum could sleep with me or i still have my grey couch!”  
“That sounds lovely. I’m surprised you still have that couch dear! Figured it would have worn out by now.” Her laugh is back and it makes me smile, she knows why i would have thrown the couch out but hey it’s nice.  
“No it’s still perfect. I’m on it now with that blanket you helped me make!”  
“Oh Gemma she still has our blanket! Lauren you hated making that! It made you so frustrated!” I hear Gemma laugh in the background and i nod to myself.  
“Hey, it was frustrating! It had to be perfect!”  
“And it was dear.”  
“It’s still soft like when you first made it with me. I still make a cuppa before bed and lay with it every night.”  
“Some things never change.”  
“And some change a ton.” I whispered lightly to myself and i hear Anne sigh at me.  
“They don’t always have to change.”  
“Well, they do sometimes. I’m happy it has.”  
“Well, i miss hearing your laugh in my living room.” She said it so true. So true. I miss laughing in their living room.  
“Well, now we can laugh in mine. My mum sent me photos i need to hang up yet then it’ll feel super homey! I got little decorations too!”  
“I can’t wait to visit dear! Have you, well, have you by chance called Harry lately?” She asked so timid.  
“No, i don’t think i will if we’re being honest.” I tried to force a laugh.  
“He’s in America i think yet, I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.” Yeah, and i would have loved to hear from him four years ago. He decided i wasn’t important though.  
“I’m sure he’s having a great time there. Every once in a while i see something in the news.” I lied to her and i feel guilty. I actually check every day to make sure he’s okay, because i would hope he would do the same.  
“I’m sure he is too. He comes home soon.”  
“Is he excited?”  
“Of course honey, breaks are his favorite.”  
“I think exploring would be the best.”  
“He likes that too.” She laughs lightly into the phone. I’m thinking of every post card he’s sent me in the past six years, every trinket in the beginning, every photo in the past years to show where he was.  
“Have you been enjoying it too? And Gemma?”  
“Of course i do! It’s been great for both of us we are able to speak more about political issues.” Anne always making a difference.  
“I see that! I’m so proud of you guys!”  
“You could do it to you know.”  
“I know, UNI really helped me though in what i want to do.”  
“So any luck in the job hunt? Well besides for the job that took you to London.”  
“The museum is beautiful. You have no idea how wonderful it is.” I sound dreamy i know, I’m in love with the art.  
“I can’t wait for you to give us the grand tour.”  
“I will, i promise! You’ll be so excited.”  
“Gemma is talking about dinner already so i guess i have to go. Please honey, think about calling Harry.”  
“I will think about it, tell Gemma i said hi and that i love her.” I smile at the girl who was once just like my big sister shout in the background.  
“I will honey. I love you, be careful in London. Call soon okay?”  
“I promise I’ll call again soon. I love you too.”  
“Have a nice night honey. Bye.”  
“Bye!” I hang up and stare at her photo pop back up, my heart longs to go there right now and climb in bed with Gemma and tell her all the drama. I can’t though, I’m an adult now. Im 23 and i got myself in the mess i am in now. I’m an adult. I stand up still wrapped in my blanket as i head over to start making a cuppa, i use a tea kettle Anne got me at graduation. Just simple and start my water. I hear my phone buzz across the room, and pause. I don’t want to even know who is calling now.  
I walk over and grab it off the coffee table, it was a text at least, not a call.  
*call me please, let’s talk more.* is written with a number i could recognize a mile away, the reason i went to London, the reason i fought for who i am, my ex fiancé.  
Josh and i met when i was maybe sixteen. He made me laugh and smile, Harry hated him, but it didn’t matter. Harry was already auditioning for the X factor, it didn’t matter what he thought. Josh was there through UNI and everything until about six weeks ago, when he showed me who he really was: a cheater. I ignore the text and i have for about six weeks, i don’t want to talk to him. I hit the play button on my small speaker and play the top twenty on Pandora.  
The kettle whistles shortly after i start dusting off a box of photos to hang on my walls. As i dust each frame i let my tea sit for a while before i drink it. It hurts to see every photo, every smile. Josh is in almost every single one, they’re from our old apartment we had together. My mum just packed them up without thinking about it. She packed the boxes at that apartment for me, i couldn’t even bring myself to see him for that short time. I sat on my floor and started going through the boxes, my mum didn’t. She couldn’t have. Under all those damn framed photos i found the small box I’ve kept for years: the box i put all the things Harry sends me. I start looking at the countless post cards from all over the world, the photos he sent me of him and his new friends, and letters he wrote when he first started. I honestly can’t deal with this right now. I shove the box away from me and i walk into my bedroom to change into my pajamas.  
*good night. love you Mum. Call tomorrow.* i Text and send it to her quickly before crawling into my bed, the sheets smell fresh and slightly of roses from my laundry detergent. I have some stuffed animals here yet and i flip my tv on. Quietly i hear on some garbage tv show about One Direction and what they’re doing right now. I half listen as i close my eyes to sleep.


	2. Just act normal. Everything is fine.

“So mum, what are you up too?” We talk everyday and it’s Sunday so the afternoon is reserved for our long chats.   
“I’m about to head to the shops with Anne actually dear. Do you want anything for when i visit in a few weeks?”   
“No mum that’s okay. I’m just excited to visit you!”   
“Well, if you think of anything i can ship out tell me!”   
“Of course i will Mum! Okay have fun with Anne! I love you!”  
“I love you too dear.” She hangs up and I’m left again on my living room floor alone. Those photos are really starting to haunt me. Those memories are truly hard to look at. I’m 23 and still stuck on some kid who i was friends with like damn three or four years ago was the last time we physically spoke for more than thirty seconds. It doesn’t even matter. Lauren it doesn’t even matter i keep saying to myself. Maybe it does matter though, maybe Anne was right and he wanted to speak to me. I pull his name up, damn iPhones and their auto saves. It’s an old photo, he’s hanging on me and we’re wearing Santa hats, it’s before the whole singer thing became so big. Back to when he would sing badly with me and laugh, back before he was famous. I stare at our faces, mouths hanging open laughing. I’m staring at my eyes, i look so young. My hair wasn’t colored yet, blonde straight hair the whole way down my back. I haven’t looked like that in years, i honestly doubt he would recognize me if he stared me in the face anyway. You know what, if he wanted to talk to me, he could have called me. All those years he could have called me. Tears start a little in the corner of my eyes. He could have called me and maybe not just sent all the damn post cards and photos and little damn trinkets. He had a phone, he has my number. He just kept sending me crap because of his mom. To look good for her. He didn’t ever care about me ever, no guy ever does. Guys aren’t worth anything. Guys are trash. I cry harder it’s coming back to josh again. How can he just destroy me? He keeps wanting to talk even he deserves nothing from me yet he expects me to forgive him. He’s not sorry he cheated, he’s sorry he got caught. 

 

My phones ringing off the hook, my house phone and my cell phone. I can’t seem to find it in my damn sheets though. I grab it sleepily and answer in a daze.   
“Ello?”   
“Lauren?”  
“It’s she. It’s like two what do you want?” I’m half awake and i can’t figure out who the hell is on the other end.   
“Are you up.”   
“No go fuck yourself.” I hit end on the phone and roll back over. I close my eyes again and feel myself drop asleep. Then i hear the damn phone again.  
“Hello?” I say again asleep.  
“I need your help.” It’s a mans voice, who is this. I don’t talk to men. It’s josh it has to be.   
“No josh.” I say it angrily and slam my finger down on my end call button. I start to wake up more now. And the phone goes off again.   
“What! What do you want josh!” I screech into the phone as i pick up, not even looking at who’s calling.   
“It’s harry! Not josh. Lauren please don’t hang up.”   
“What do you want.” It’s harsh when it comes out, but i actually mean it to be.   
“Lauren please come open your door. I need your help.”   
“Sorry wrong number.” I lay face down and hear his annoyed sigh.   
“Lauren come on. I’m outside please let me in.”   
“Don’t live in Cheshire anymore stalker.”   
“Lauren come on I’m in london! Let me in the media is freaking crazy.”   
“No! That’s not my problem!” I’m wide awake now, like fuck, it’s not my problem.   
“Please! I’m begging you!”   
“No! Call your mum!”   
“I did! She said you’d help me!” Anne said I’d help him, damn. I can’t let Anne down. I walk to my door i wrap myself in my comforter as i walk down my small hallway to the door.   
“Lauren! Please answer!” I can hear him banging on the door as i walk to the door.   
“Why!” I say loudly, might as well make this fun.   
“Please now! I’ll pay you!”   
“You’ll pay me to open this silly door huh?” Our shouting back and forth is making me laugh, my neighbors must hate me.   
“Yes whatever you want!” I open the door and he rushes in.   
“I want you to pay me by doing the laundry because i despise folding clothes.” I say staring at him as he pants. He hates laundry one hundred times more than i do, but i don’t want his money.   
“I’ll get you a maid.”   
“Nah, not good enough i want to watch you suffer while you do it.” He starts looking around before he moves some.   
“It’s quaint.” He says taking a step further in.   
“Hey styles we don’t live in a damn barn here take off your shoes. You’ll track water in my carpet.” I say to him as i walk away back to my room opening the guest bedroom.   
“Yeah, yeah i know. How have you been?” He seems to be casual, like he hasn’t called me first in four years.   
“Tired. Sleep in the guest room if you have to stay here.” I walk into my room before closing the door.   
“Thank you!” I hear him shout at me before i my back down. Who the hell does he think he is? Barging into my apartment thinking he can stay here, i mean i let him but only because of Anne. He just feels so entitled! Acting like he can sleep here. He doesn’t even talk to me anymore. What a damn prick.


End file.
